Praise & Pray

Our first encounter with jealousy in the Bible is with the story of Adam's sons, Cain and Abel. Both men made offerings to God, but Cain became jealous because his brother's offering pleased God more than his. An envious spirit wrapped itself around his heart and squeezed until one day, he attacked his only sibling, killed him, and was cursed by the Lord to struggle and wander the earth (Genesis 4:10-12).

Before the murder, God had warned Cain about what jealousy was doing to him, saying, "sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). Cain likely didn't quite understand how powerful jealousy was and how it would play out. Most people are no different, underestimating what jealousy can do in a person's heart. It is an evil snake seeking to drive them to sin. This is why God doesn't want His children to agree with that spirit and let it into their lives.

Sadly, so many lean into their jealousy, unaware that it should not be treated lightly. When left unchecked, envy can lead a person to murder, as with Cain. And if the spirit of jealousy cannot get a person to kill, it will be pleased to have anger, hypercriticism, gossip, and lies weaponized against someone. This can destroy a person's reputation and hurt them so badly that they are left with heart wounds and other emotional scars.

The early disciples witnessed the impact of jealousy as it entered the hearts of many who opposed them. Some envied the apostle's capacity to convince others to believe the good news (Acts 13:45). They may not have realized that the enemy was using them to distract others from hearing the gospel with their antics. In Acts 17, we are told that a group of jealous people gathered up troublemakers, formed a mob, and started a riot (Acts 17:5).

Christians must be intentional about not agreeing with jealousy. We are warned in Ezekiel 35, where the Lord said He would judge Esau's offspring because they operated in anger, hatred, and jealousy. Paul cautioned early believers never to let jealousy take root in their midst, calling it worldly and ungodly (1 Corinthians 3:3). He noted that envy is an act of the flesh and that it is no different from idolatry, witchcraft, factions, sexual immorality, hatred, and arguing (Galatians 5:20).

We all know we should avoid these sins mentioned in Galatians 5:20, so we must not be lax about jealousy. The only one who benefits from that attitude is the devil because it knows that if a Christian is blind to jealousy, they will neither repent nor change their ways. Then, the sin of jealousy will hide in the person's 'blindspot,' hindering their spiritual and physical life.

God's hands are tied when it comes to a jealous person. He loves them and will show them His grace and mercy. However, the choice to partner with envy will impact how much the Lord can bless them. Remember, God will only do exceedingly and abundantly more than what is expected, depending on the spirit a person carries (Ephesians 3:20). If that spirit is jealousy, then it is not the Holy Spirit, and the person will be deprived of the Ephesians 3:20 promise and more.

When we allow ourselves to be envious of others, we are short-changing ourselves and erecting a roadblock to our prayers because we are disobeying His instruction not to be jealous. Romans 13:13 - Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. This doesn't mean God will never show grace or love to a jealous person.

Despite what happened, Cain still received God's kindness, promising that nobody would kill him (Genesis 4:13-16). Still, we must not overlook the real lesson here. Jealousy led to murder, and Cain was forced out of God's presence. Genesis 4:16 - So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. He went from being a man privileged to hear God's voice to losing that intimate relationship. The Bible didn't record a continued relationship between them, and none of us should want to experience that.

What we should all desire is God's fullness of life (John 10:10). He wants to shower us with continuous blessings, so always rejoice in His kindness. He wants us assured that He is with us no matter what comes our way, so we walk in Godfidence, knowing we are never alone. Jesus died for these reasons and more. And when we reject jealousy and accept the grace of the Savior, we walk in the truth - we never need to be jealous of anyone because we are God's children and He takes responsibility for us. He is fiercely on our side. 

Allowing ourselves to be jealous suggests we do not believe He can beautify our lives. It also means that we are ignoring His promise that He has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). It suggests we are ungrateful toward Him and have forgotten that we are His children, made in His image for His glory. The apples of His eyes and the light that shines in the darkness. We reject all jealousy and are set free from it, IJN, Amen!

As you wait for fellowship at 12 Noon EST, consider reading the Altar Call below and the following previous P&P messages:

1. Careful what you say

2. The Royal Law

3. The Royal Law: Gossips & Slanderers

4. The Royal Law: Liars & False Witnesses

5. The Royal Law: You Reap What You Sow

6. Predestined To Win

7. Spirit-Filled But Worldly?

8. Anger Leads To Judgment

9. Stop Living Like A Pagan

10. Gracious Speech

11. Don't Be satan's Mouthpiece

12. Say No To Factions

13. Pray Not To Be Tempted

14. Pray Against Willful Sin

15. Are You Truly A Christian?

16. Do You Look Like Him?

17. Agree With God Not satan